Policy-Based Forwarding (PBF) on Palo Alto Networks firewalls allows administrators to define forwarding decisions based on criteria other than the destination IP address, such as the application, source address, or user. It can address scenarios like:
A: Routing FTP to a backup ISP link to save bandwidth on the primary ISP link: PBF can be configured to identify FTP traffic and route it through a different ISP, preserving bandwidth on the primary link for other critical applications.
B: Providing application connectivity when the primary circuit fails: PBF can be used for failover purposes, directing traffic to an alternate path if the primary connection goes down, ensuring continuous application availability.
PBF is not designed to bypass Layer 7 inspection or forward traffic based solely on source port, as these tasks are managed through different mechanisms within the firewall's operating system.